September 24, 2014

Canada has become the world's second greatest consumer of high-dosage opioid painkillers thanks to a dispensing rate that rose by 23 percent from 781 units for every 1,000 residents in 2006, to 961 units--or almost one dose for every Canadian citizen--as of 2011. The increase, which occurred despite guidelines cautioning doctors against overprescribing the addictive drugs, was greatest in the province of Saskatchewan, where usage soared by nearly 85 percent, and in the city of Ontario, where the dispensing rate reached 1.4 units per resident. The increases were lowest in Alberta province and the city of Quebec. The most-consumed opioid is oxycodone, accounting for nearly half the total, followed by morphine, hydromorphine and fentanyl. The U.S. remains the #1 opioid consumer.

Human brains could be capable of compensating for some changes that take place during early Alzheimer's disease, suggest researchers from the University of California. The study findings, published in Nature, suggest that some individuals can recruit more nerve power to aid with their ability to think. While experts say that more research is needed, they also hope that the findings help explain why only certain people with early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease go on to experience severe memory problems. The small study involved 71 adults and brain scans to check for amyloid deposits, protein deposits associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Dr Pepper Snapple Group, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola all made a pledge to cut the amount of calories in sugary drinks by one-fifth in the next decade. This pledge, made at the 10th annual Clinton Global Initiative, is expected to be honored through a combination of distribution, packaging and marketing. New York Times reports that this pledge was an acknowledgment by the soda companies of their role in the obesity crisis facing America, as well as the accompanying increasing rates of diabetes and heart disease. It's believed that sugary soft drinks currently account for around 6 percent of the average person's daily calories.